Snapshot of Kaui Island Hawaii

     As the sky and the sea meet each other at the horizon their colors seem to melt together. The peaceful sound of the waves diving into the shore sing in my ears like a children's lullaby. The white sand tickles my feet as the sea breeze pushes the grains. As I look out into the ocean the clear water shows images of wildly painted fish and the turtles that are calmly enjoying the ride of the current.

     Off in the distance, the relaxing sound of the waves and the differing colors of the sea give way to blue and green mountains with surprises lurking deep within the hills. The volcanic mountains hold a beauty similar to the ocean but at the

same time one that is so different. As you make your way to the heart of the forest you begin to hear a mysterious sound, filled with the singing of birds and the scurrying of the animals. Eventually you find a clearing in the trees and your eyes peer across a white rush of water. As you adventure to the pool of water beneath you, a cooling mist of water settles on you face. A distortion of water and sunlight create a rainbow just above the surface. The beauty captivates you almost as if it is trying to hypnotize you. As your descent down a hillside brings you closer to your reflection in the endless pool of blue water, you take a deep breath of the dense Hawaiian air.  Your heart skips and you jump into the refreshing water. The echoes of the gallons of water filling the pool makes you feel one step closer to heaven. This Is Hawaii.

A Good Listener

     In the story Of Mice and Men, Curley's wife seems to be singled out a lot. She just wants to have someone to confide in. She talks to a lot of the men on the ranch, but she doesn't find anyone she can trust until Lennie comes into the picture. As Lennie is sitting there in the barn cradling the dead puppy Curley's wife walks in. They begin to talk to each other . It is here that she finds someone she can trust. As they are talking she begins to confide in Lennie about her past. She tells him that she never loved Curley, but instead she only married him to get away from her family. Lennie is the first person she tells and asks him to keep her secret. Lennie does, and shortly dies after this so the secret is buried with him.

     There are many qualities to a good listener. On equality could be that the person is keeping eye contact. If the person whom you are talking to keeps staring at different things around the room they most likely aren't completely listening to you. Another quality is if the person actually listens and is quiet. If a person keeps talking throughout your statement or if they continue to share their opinion without listening, they probably don't care about the story or they just want to share what they have to. Remember silent and listen have the same letters.

    I can't remember a time I have ever had to confide something in someone. However, if I did, I would choose a friend that I can trust. If that person betrayed me I would be angry. Depending on what I asked them to keep secret is how angry I would be. I if was something along the lines of "don't tell someone that she isn't invited to a party", and they told her then I would be a little mad, but I wouldn't overreact about it. If It was a huge secret like telling a friend that we are throwing a surprise party for them, then I would be mad because it ruined the whole plan. It all depends on the situation on what happened to determine how I would react.

     Unlike me confiding in others, others have confided in me. Some people have asked me to keep secrets.These secrets have been anything from personal or family issues to a party that they don't want this person to know about. I have had to handle their trust in many ways. I have to remember that even though it may be hard, this person trusted me and I have to keep their secret. I sometimes pretend that I don't remember what they told me so I don't just  spill it. Other times I have to say to myself, " This is who they are talking about so act like you don't know what is happening." That is how I handle my friends' trust.

    In the story Of Mice and Men, Curley's wife trust's Lennie with a secret that nobody else knows about her. Lennie proves to be a good listener. Qualities that make people a good listener can be eye contact or simply being silent. People confide in others everyday. I can't remember a time when I confided in someone, but others have confided in me before. I have kept their secrets by either pretending not to know what was happening or try to forget what they had told me, only remembering when they are around. That is what I think a good listener is.

A Perfect World (My Opinion)

     Everyone can describe a perfect world. They may talk about how they want to get a  raise or for their garden to grow this year. However, can't a perfect world be something completely different from that?  A perfect world could involve anything, if it is something that makes the world perfect in your eyes. In my opinion a perfect world means no disasters. This could be anything from natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes to man made/planned disasters such as wars, the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, or 9/11. A perfect world could mean all people are kind. And finally it could be no deaths.

     To begin, a perfect world can mean no disasters. I do understand that earthquakes and tornadoes do happen due to weather related issues or just the way the earth is. However sometimes these natural disasters happen and kill people. In my perfect world there would be no natural disasters. Another thing that wouldn't happen in a perfect world would be war. A perfect world would mean no fighting. this could be anything from a school fight to countries fighting. Everything that we see as young people can affect us later in life. If we see war when we are young couldn't that mean that we are very likely to see it when we are older? Disasters shouldn't take lives. In a perfect world disasters that can kill people will never happen.

     Many reasons for man made disasters such as 9/11 or Pearl Harbor happen from people having anger. This anger can be caused by various things. The Holocaust, for example, happened because one man convinced a whole nation that Jews were evil, were money stealer's and not real people. Because one man had hatred, millions of innocent, kind people were killed. Elies wiesel once said, ''Which is worse- killing with hate or killing without hate." In my opinion no one should kill. People should be kind to one another because you never know how the other will respond or when you won't see them anymore. Bullies are one of the main reasons of unkindness. Teenagers commit suicide because bullies convince them to hate themselves or they can't deal with it anymore. In a perfect world every country, neighbor and stranger  will be kind to one another.

     Death can be a powerful word. No parent should have to watch their child die. No person should feel so bad that they feel the only escape is death. No innocent person should die becuase of their religion. In my opinion in a perfect world death would only come to those who have lived a long and fulfilling life. Children shouldn't have to die in a car accident because of anothers mistake. Young people shouldn't die beacuse of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In a perfect world, people who have lived a long and fulfilling life shall go with  grace.

     In conclusion, in my perfect world, any kind of disaster, natural or man made, will never happen.  Also, every person, old or young will be kind to one another. There will be no hatred. Finally, there will be no unexplained death. People who have lived for the sake of living will go with peace. In a perfect world we will all get along, and we will die when we are old. Someday I hope we all live in a perfect world.